Merle Norman Haul!

After I lost 120 lbs

Hi! Beauties! Today I am going to share my Merle Norman haul with you. First, I want to tell you that in the whirl wind of this last year of the You Tube beauty videos I have watched along with the beauty blogs I have read that I noticed that Merle Norman cosmetics is not mentioned in either forum very much. I realized this one day while watching an You Tube video where Kristin Gehm mentioned a product she had received from a friend that worked part-time at a Wisconsin Merle Norman. The product was called Cotton Clouds which as her video says is a dupe for the Shiseido Cotton Pads. Long story short I found out from my local Merle Norman store that the Cotton Clouds are not a Merle Norman product so they are not sold in all Merle Norman stores, so I ordered mine off of Amazon. Now, the whole reason for telling you all that is that I remember when I was a teenager (trust me long time ago) everyone who was anybody in school wore Merle Norman makeup. Sadly, I was one of those girls that didn’t get to experience Merle Norman until I was an adult. Life happens and for some reason unknown to me I got a way from using their products. The good thing that came out of this whole story is when I was talking to my local Merle Norman beauty consultant Jessica Forester I mentioned my blog and she was interested in hearing more about it and I wanted to see what was new at Merle Norman, so we got together at the store. I know you don’t think I left a makeup store without buying me some products……LOL!! So this article was born.

Merle Norman Haul

Merle Norman Swatches

I learned so much from Jessica and Julie Forester(Owner) about some of the new and even some of the older well known products that Merle Norman offers. I  decided to get the above pictured Clarifying Clay Mask. I got it so I could see if it works as well as the Merle Norman’s Miracol Creamy Formula  Revitalizing Cream, the one Merle Norman product I have continued to use all this time. I look forward to doing a comparison article on these two products in the near future. I also picked up their Pro Pen Eyeliner in Sharp Black, as you can see in above picture it is very black. The last product I bought was the above pictured Cream-To-Powder Blush in Bare Mocha. I plan on using this to contour with since I have a fair complexion. I will be keeping you updated in my articles about these products.

Merle Norman Gift with Purchase

Since I bought two items I was gifted this above travel size product kit! I was so happy! In this kit was an Age Defying Serum, a Mascara Primer, the Supreme Lash Mascara in Black, a Clear Lip Pencil and a Lip Polish in Mademoiselle. I can not wait to try all these out. I will either do an article about these products or update you on my Facebook page. If you haven’t liked my Facebook page yet you can right now by clicking here Beth and Beauty.

Merle Norman Samples

While I was there they were nice enough to give me some samples to try out. So sorry picture is not that great, I am still learning how to use my new Canon T3I camera. I believe you can tell by the picture what the actual packaging of the skincare line looks like. The green sample in the little pot is the Anti-Redness Foundation Primer. The green tint primer claims to instantly and transparently neutralize redness and prepares skin for foundation application. It also is designed to fill in rough and uneven patches without drying out your skin. This is next in line for me to try out. I will keep you updated. I have used the samples they gave me of the Anti-Aging Complex skin care line. They gave me two of each and each sample was good for two uses. I can tell you that I loved all three of the products. They went on smoothly, absorbed quickly so they did not leave my skin feeling greasy at all. As for the Anti-Aging qualities the products claim to do, I don’t believe I used it long enough to back the claims up(I don’t doubt the claims). With Anti-Aging products I believe you need to give them a good 6-8 weeks to see any anti-aging benefits. I am going to list below the three products with a brief description of each product.

  • Anti-Aging Complex Emulsion Broad Spectrum SPF 30 – An anti-aging facial hydrator. Designed for daily wear, the exclusive formula delivers the hydration of a cream in a lightweight unique formula called an emulsion that wears under makeup every day.
  • Anti-Aging Complex Night Cream – Advanced hydration and anti-aging system. Time-released moisturizers work during the night to help improve skin elasticity for a more supple and more revitalized skin in the morning. It features an exclusive Triple Peptide Complex to help reduce the signs of aging while the body is at rest.
  • Anti-Aging Complex Eye Treatment Broad Spectrum SPF 15 – Specifically formulated for the delicate eye area, this advanced formula targets key aging concerns such as crow’s feet and lid drooping. Plus has a SPF 15 for protection from the sun. Safe for contact wearers.

I so enjoyed the hospitality that Jessica and Julie Forester showed me at the Merle Norman Store. It is located at 607 E. Tyler St. Ste 107-5, Athens, TX 75751. If you get the chance go check this store out, they carry other products besides cosmetics. Wigs, shoes and more. Please tell them Beth and Beauty sent you. I also just want to make sure you know that this is not a sponsored article by them. I purchased all the products besides the samples and gift with purchase that  anyone can get. I just wanted to give them a shout out for the kindness they showed me.

Thank you for visiting my blog and reading this article. Please subscribe if you haven’t already, it is free and you will be notified when any new articles are published on my blog. I  love to read any comments, suggestions or feedback. Also please feel free to leave any questions you may have for me. I read and respond to all my comments and questions. As always you can also connect with me through any of my social media icons, I am just a click away!

Some Questions and Answers (tag!)

Makeup Tag

Hi! Beauties! Today I am going to do a tag article that I chose to do for you after reading it on www.harrietjacksonx.blogspot.co.uk. I did make some adjustments on a couple of the questions so it would suit me better. I thought this would give you a chance to get to know me and my makeup taste a little more. I would like to tag Miranda at www.slashedbeauty.com, Rebecca B. Bird at www.helloprettybird.com and Emily at www.beautybroadcast.com. Also any of you that would like to do this tag consider yourself tagged. If you don’t have a blog, feel free to email me your answeres or leave them below in the comment section. So let’s get started.

  1. What is your favorite eye shadow palette to use? At this time I would have to say my Lorac Unzipped.
  2. What’s the one product you wouldn’t leave the house without? I am assuming I am leaving the house with my makeup on so I would have to say the lipstick I had put on before leaving the house.
  3. What’s your favorite makeup look? Rose Gold/Brown eyes with winged eyeliner and a pinkish nude lipstick.
  4. What features do you play up the most? My eye brows and eyes.
  5. What features do you downplay/cover up the most? My pores and fine lines.
  6. Your favorite Makeup brand, if you could only pick ONE to exist? Drugstore: L’Oreal / High-end: Lorac
  7. What product have you re-purchased again and again? L’Oreal Clean Artiste waterproof & long wearing eye makeup remover (the green bottle)
  8. One Beauty treatment you would pay to have done? My eyebrows waxed and shaped by Cristina  at Nordstrom’s Anastasia Brow Studio
  9. One beauty trick you can share with anyone? You should start your makeup routine by doing your eye brows first. First you wipe them down with a kleenex to make sure they are dry and no moisturizer is left on them. Then fill them in with your eye brow powder and then use a brow pencil to define them.This will make your brow makeup stay on all day and the brow powder and pencil go on true to color.
  10. Best advice you’ve ever been given regarding beauty and makeup? Make sure to remove all your makeup with a good makeup remover of your choice, then apply an toner to balance the skins ph levels(plus will make sure all traces of makeup are gone) and then apply a moisturizer/night cream. Try your best not to go to bed with your makeup on!

Thank you for visiting my blog and reading this article. Please subscribe if you haven’t already, it is free and you will be notified when any new articles are published on my blog. I  love to read any comments, suggestions or feedback. Also please feel free to leave any questions you may have for me. I read and respond to all my comments and questions. As always you can also connect with me through any of my social media icons, I am just a click away!